Halting the wheels of hope Essay Example for Free

Halting the wheels of hope Essay The concept of governmental tyranny is often difficult to grasp to those living in more democratic nations, and media output and literature become key in growing to understand it’s implications. Serving to heighten this political perspective is â€Å"The Wheels of Freedom: Bicycles in China† by Fred Strebeigh, which describes China’s bicycle ban in 1989 and subsequent protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The bicycle provided significant growth and freedom within Chinese culture, and Strebeigh endeavors to communicate this to readers. Illustrating this, he defends the will of the people to preserve their right to ride them in the face of government opposition, and the tragedy imposed by political oppression. Upon the bicycle’s introduction to the people of China in the early 20th century, many looked to it through eyes of bewilderment. A fascinating and not yet popularized machine, it was most commonly ridden by members of affluent societies. As it’s newness wore off, however, it slowly became available those of the more humble classes, and in place of the word â€Å"bicycle†, the term â€Å"foreign horse† found it’s use in the minds and mouths of the masses. Strebeigh includes that the term â€Å"foreign† communicated the people’s feelings of admiration for the bicycle while alluding to the fact that it was modern. The peasantry of China found themselves with the deepest sense of admiration for the â€Å"foreign horse†. To them, the thought of owning one brought to mind the ease it could bring to their everyday lives, as they often carried burdensome loads on their backs. Yet, the low supply and thus high cost of the bicycle made it’s acquisition impractical for them. In response to the desire, the government later began regulating higher production rates of the bicycle to readily supply them to the impoverished and raise morale. However, the term â€Å"foreign horse† was banned in light of it’s glorification of another nation’s ingenuity, highlighting the extremes of the Chinese government to exercise their sovereign of the people. In it’s place, the name â€Å"self-running cart†. This served to express the government sentiment that the people could have what they wanted, but only at it’somplete jurisdiction. The people tolerated the name change of their beloved bicycles, as the trade-off of name for it’s widespread distribution was easy enough, and many still used it’s original moniker in private. Following it’s popularization, the lives of many saw an enrichment in quality. The dignity of the people improved, as it granted them new freedoms and eased the stress of everyday tasks, al lowing for flourishing business and connectedness within communities. Perhaps stated best, Strebeigh wrote of it’s wide use, â€Å"Everywhere, cycles kept life rolling† (Strebeigh). In addition to heightening the commerce of societies, it introduced the occupation of bicycle repair, which Stebeigh revered as perhaps the â€Å"freest† job in China. In it’s praise, he wrote, â€Å"A hard worker needed only a street corner and a few tools. Before his eyes bikes would inevitably break down and, if he was skilled, clients would multiply. Bicycle repair seemed to offer an extension of what the bike itself offered and what so many Chinese sought: modest dignity, new choices, ample freedom. † (Strebeigh). Bike repair was a choice outside of the typical, and entirely pursued as an individual pleased. Sadly, it was the bicycles issuance of dignity, choices, and freedom that that ultimately inflicted threat upon the Chinese government. They understood that with bike ownership, the people were growing to a height of advantage. It was their supposition that, if the people continued in such a fashion, government control perhaps had the potential to become menial. To ensure that their ultimate authority was not being overlooked, a ban was placed on bicycles within China. News of this did not come amicably to the people, and their response was protest. It was Tianenmen Square in Bejing which saw the organization of a large-scale demonstration which rallied for government reform. It lasted weeks, and ended upon the mobilization of troops to the area. Their invasion was destructive and resulted in the loss of many lives as troops initiated the use of tanks and weaponry to control the people. In media coverage, it was not the bloodied bodies of victims that were aired on television screens in Chinese homes, but rather the depiction of bicycles which had been crushed by the military. Of it, Strebeigh writes, â€Å"They wanted to show crushed dignity, crushed humanity, crushed freedomso much that the bicycle means in China. † (Strebeigh). This image was a wise devise of the government. They knew what the bicycle represented to the people, and knew that to show it destroyed would communicate their dominance and triumph. The concept of tyrannical rule and its implied bleakness are often incomprehensible, or altogether unrecognized by the people of more democratic countries given their many freedoms. With the words of Fred Strebeigh, however, perspective expands. The honor of an object as seemingly simple as a bicycle becomes worthy of defense, even dying for, and the tragedy of oppressive rule becomes very real. Works Cited

How I Would Direct A View From The Bridge :: Drama

How I Would Direct 'A View From The Bridge' In this essay, I will explain how Arthur Miller creates tension and suspense in 'A View From The Bridge' by explaining the dramatic devices, props, characters etc. In 'A View From The Bridge', Arthur Miller employs various techniques to generate dramatic tension and to hold the audiences' interest. The playwright uses the setting, characters, stage directions, props, lighting, language, and setting as the main sources of drama. The characters are a vital element in the play, and are the basis of the drama. Eddie is portrayed as a well respected, hard working, ordinary man. He is dedicated to his family and is presented as an amiable character. "He was as good a man as he had to be in a life that was hard and even." Alfieri explains this at the beginning of the play, and this emphasises that Eddie is an honourable, decent person. However, as soon as a catalyst (in the form of the cousins) is introduced, another side to Eddie is revealed, and his true feelings for Catherine exposed. "What are the high heels for Garbo?" Eddie says this to Catherine, in front of the cousins, to deliberately humiliate her. Eddie sees Catherine's attentiveness towards Rodolfo and becomes jealous. This sexual jealousy grows throughout the play and the audience realize that what did seem like over-protectiveness is in fact romantic obsession and unlawful love for Catherine. This disgusts the audience and so they begin to turn against Eddie. Eddie's attachment to Catherine is his flaw. His demise is the consequence of this weakness. Eddie's fate becomes inevitable and predictable when his inability to compromise and the true extent of his fixation with Catherine becomes apparent. "His eyes were like tunnels." Alfieri says this to describe Eddie. It suggests that Eddie has tunnel vision, and can only focus on one thing - Catherine. This is evident when Eddie calls Immigration to 'snitch' on Marco and Rodolfo. It highlights Eddie's desperation and loss of rational thinking as he acts on the contrary of his own strong beliefs, which he outlined at the beginning of the play with the consequences of Vinnie Banzalo's betrayal. The characters are all involved in very tangled relationships. Beatrice is jealous of Eddie's love for Catherine. "When am I gonna be a wife again Eddie?" She is very frustrated with her husband, but he will not face the reality of the situation. Eddie expects Beatrice to support him, as wives were supposed at that time. So when Beatrice defends Catherine, Eddie cannot understand why his wife is deliberately defying him as he believes he is being perfectly reasonable. Eddie insinuates that Rodolfo is homosexual due to his apparent

Second language anxiety Essay

In formal researches, foreign language anxiety has clearly been shown to have a negative effect on performance in the foreign language classroom (Aida, 1994; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991). However, Sparks and Ganschow (1991) have argued to the contrary that, rather than affective factors such as motivation, anxiety or attitude, and foreign language learning are affected by the native language factors. Sparks, Ganschow and Javorsky (2000) contend that some sort of cognitive handicap is the cause of both low proficiency in a second language (L2 hereafter) and the accompanying anxiety. Anxiety in Speaking Public speaking anxiety is very common among both universities students and also the general population. It is a feeling of panic associated with physical sensations that are all too painfully familiar to those affected such as increased heart and breathing rates, increased adrenaline, over-rapid reactions, and a tension in the shoulder and neck area. Almost 20% of university students face the problem of public speaking anxiety (McCroskey, 1977). He also defined anxiety in broad-based as â€Å"an individual’s level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons†. The apprehension of speaking before a group of individuals remains a problem in the twenty-first century. According to Krannich (2004), the fear of delivering a speech or a presentation ranks as the number one fear among most people, including students as well as adults from many diverse backgrounds. Ayres, Hopt and Peterson (2000) referred communicati on or speaking anxiety related with the delivering of speech or the fear or anxiety associated with anticipating the delivery of a speech.

Public Schools And School Safety - 2688 Words

School Safety Bronze R. Green Faulkner State Community College Authors Note Bronze R. Green, Department of Criminal Justice, Faulkner State Community College. Bronze R. Green remains at Department of Criminal Justice, Faulkner State Community College. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bronze R. Green, Department of Criminal Justice, Faulkner State Community College, Bay Minette, AL 36057. Contact: bronze.green@yahoo.com Abstract This paper explores published articles that report on results from research conducted on online and offline relationships and their relationship to school safety. The public schools in the United States have various issues with disciplinary and school violence/shootings. When drugs, crime, and violence from the streets come into the schools, the learning environment becomes difficult. Survey results show students carry weapons for protection. Today’s youth has replaced fist fights with guns. The presence of police in public schools has made a slight difference in disciplinary and violence issues. Parents, school administration, law enforcement, and the community plays a major role in how children today act. The community and parents should promote productive and safe learning environments. Keywords: School safety School safety is essential to a child’s education. Public schools in the United States have various issues with disciplinary problems and school violence/shootings. The United States has hadShow MoreRelatedThe Dangers Of Public Safety For School Children1447 Words   |  6 Pagestechnological advances of modern society, we now have more opportunities than ever to promote safety. The iClick to Safety device was inspired by the growing concern of public safety for school children. The FBI has confirmed a sharp rise in mass shootings since 2000, leaving parents and school faculty desperate for solutions. 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Every day parents contemplate whether to send their children to private or public school. There are many dangers that come with public school like